Phil Mickelson: Lefty's Grooved Swing Sets Stage for a Great Season

By dominating the field on Sunday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am, Phil Mickelson sent notice to the golf world that he is still ready to be a force on the tour. 

Mickelson fired a Sunday 64 to finish the tournament at -17 under. That number will be good enough to give Mickelson the victory with a three-stroke lead and only two players left to finish up on No. 18.

His return to dominance was far from a forgone conclusion entering this event. Lefty suffered through a sub-par 2011, and he was off to an absolutely awful start to 2012. 

He had played three events leading up to this one and had placed 49th and 26th and missed one cut completely. 

This raised the serious question that he was past his prime. He put those issues to rest this week. 

In the days leading up to the Pro Am, Lefty flew in his swing coach, Butch Harmon, to help him fix what ailed him. And it is safe to say the tweaks they made to his swing worked. 

Over the course of this event, Mickelson has dialed in that swing, and he was stroking the ball brilliantly on Sunday. 

He was hitting his drives accurately and deep. He was consistently in the fairway and deadly with his approach shots. 

Lefty dominated the course on Sunday, and was able to hit any shot his mind could dream up. 

Paired with Tiger Woods on Sunday, Phil quickly left Woods in the dust. He had three birdies and an eagle in his first six holes. 

This left him in firm control of the tournament, and his solid play sealed the deal. He didn't have one bogey on the day. 

It was not all about his work on the tee and fairway—with Phil, it never is. He has struggled recently with giving away shots on short putts. 

This led to him tinkering with the belly putter at the end of 2011. He has ditched that putter this year, and he was stroking all of his putts with confidence. 

He was not timid on his short putts and was drilling them to the back of the cup. 

All of this is a great sign for Lefty and his chances at a strong 2012. Expect Mickelson to be a huge factor in the four majors this year, and he has to be considered the early favorite for the upcoming Masters.